Justyn Priest – Guitar

Justyn Priest – Guitar

Hello! I’m Justyn Priest. I’ve been playing guitar for for 16 years, and playing with bands and recording for 15 of those years. I started my journey in music listening to The Jimi Hendrix Experience as a teenager. Shortly thereafter, my parents purchased my first electric guitar, and I haven’t looked back since. Many days and nights were spent in front of stereo speakers learning Hendrix, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Allman Brothers Band, and Pink Floyd. I would later learn the incredible blessing of having access to my parents’ cassette tape collection.

For my first two years of playing, I was almost entirely self-taught (aside from a month of lessons from the local music store). Family and friends would connect me with any guitar players they knew to help guide my education, which was a blessing, but could not reach the potential benefits that regular guided lessons would have provided. I firmly believe in music instruction, and wish that I could have had access to the knowledge and resources that an institution like Learn To Burn offers young musicians.

At the age of 18, I applied for and was accepted by Musicians Institute in Los Angeles, California, after spending two semesters at North Idaho College under Prof. Girard Mathes and Paul Grove. I completed their Guitar Institute of Technology Journeyman Certificate in Performance program in 2007. I’ve had the privilege of receiving instruction from the likes of Carl Verheyen, Allen Hinds, the late Ross Bolton, and Scott Henderson. I am still in the pursuit of education, and consider myself forever a student of music. I am well-versed in many popular styles of music, including (but not limited to): rock, metal, funk, blues, fusion, jam, country, hip hop, and jazz. My interest in a wide variety of genres has made it easier to sit in with many different bands, sometimes at the last minute!

Upon moving back to the inland Northwest, I’ve had the privilege of playing with many different local acts such as: Ron Greene, Cruxie, The Rub, Hey! Is For Horses, Jesi B and the All Rites and presently, Flying Spiders. I have also participated in many a recording session, cutting everything from commercials to demos to full albums.

I believe in performance and personal voice when playing for audiences. My goal as an instructor is to not only provide the knowledge to become a better player, but to bring out the character of the individual through their instrument. No matter what music is being played, I want to hear the soul of the performer through and through. I want to prepare my students for the moment they step onto the stage and empower them to be comfortable enough to engage any audience with real confidence.

Enough about me, though! Give me a call, and let’s get started! Guitars of all sizes and shapes are welcome.